CHAPTER XXX.

BUENOS AYRES.

_January 18th, 1853._—I am again in Buenos Ayres, and find it for the fourth time within the two years past, in an entirely new aspect. The contrast between its present condition and that in which I first saw it, is peculiarly striking. Then, all that met the eye gave evidence of peace, quietude, public order, safety, and seeming prosperity. There was the bustle of active business every where—at the crowded landing in boats and lighters plying rapidly between the shipping and the shore, and in the thronged thoroughfares in the trucks of the warehouses, and the ponderous carts with their long lines of oxen from the interior. Pleasure, too, was heard and seen on every side, in the gay chat of the promenaders on the sidewalks, the dashing by of equipages through the streets, and in the laugh and gallop of riders, both male and female, coursing along the shore. Now, in place of peace, there is war; in place of quietude and order, anarchy and confusion; in place of safety, danger; and of seeming prosperity, apprehended ruin! All business, foreign and domestic, is suspended; the mole is like a place of the dead, the shops and houses are all closed, the street deserted; every native male inhabitant, between the years of sixteen and sixty, under arms and on daily duty, and the city begirt, within a dozen squares of its centre, by hostile troops composed of its own people. By these, all intercourse between the city and the country is prevented, and all supplies of provision cut off; while they daily direct the murderous fire of their muskets and cannon down the streets occupied by their neighbors, relatives, and friends. And what, it will be asked, is the cause of this state of things, and what the origin of the civil war? Even the best informed on the subject here, whose feelings and judgment have not been perverted by partisanship, reply by saying, “Who can tell?” One thing is clear, the cause is not a spirit of patriotism excited by oppression, or the origin a sense of right under the pressure of wrong; nor are either traceable to the conflicting policy of contending parties in regard to the public good: patriotism, right, and public good, are but empty words here. The highest principle seems to be that of personal ambition, in a few military aspirants, sustained by ignorant and mercenary followers; and the ruling motive the attainment of power—power over “the receipt of customs,” and power over the “Paper Bank,” with the opportunity of robbing the public, under the name of office and the form of law. This may be thought a harsh and summary judgment in the case, but it is sustained by facts.

The history of public affairs at Buenos Ayres for the last six months may be briefly told. After Urquiza had found it necessary to dissolve the House of Representatives in the manner described during my last visit, and to assume the supreme authority, he gave full evidence of the enlightened and public-spirited policy of the government he purposed to exercise. His first measure was the establishment of the public schools which Rosas had suppressed; and the introduction into them of the Bible as the text-book of morals and religion. Another project was the building of a breakwater and mole, for the protection of ships and the benefit of the commerce of the port; and a third the construction of a railroad into the interior. This policy, in acts and purposes, begat confidence in him among capitalists and the friends of progress; and high hopes were entertained of future prosperity to the city and state. In September, however, he was called from Buenos Ayres to the Congress appointed by the different States, to convene at the city of Santa Fé on the Parana, for the formation of a general constitution and the consolidation of the Republics into one government. He left a small body only of his own troops at Buenos Ayres, and embarked on his mission. But the smoke of the steamer which carried him to his destination had scarcely faded on the horizon before a revolution was effected by his enemies, and a new government organized. The first measure adopted by it, was a resolution to invade Entre-Rios, the State of Urquiza. For this a force was despatched both by water and by land: that by water was summarily defeated and dispersed by the Entre-Rians, and that marching by land, informed of the disaster, halted on the frontiers. Money was of course necessary for the subsistence of the troops on this expedition; and the new minister of war obtained the issue of a large amount of paper money by the bank for this purpose. He forwarded it to the disbursing officer, however, with instructions to keep it in safety till he could arrive himself to attend the distribution of it among the soldiers. He left the capital professedly on this errand, proceeded to the camp, obtained possession of the money, crossed the frontier, exchanged the paper for gold, and emigrated beyond the jurisdiction of the government of which he was a member! The soldiers, disappointed in their pay, were conducted by their leaders to Buenos Ayres, to obtain redress by a new issue from the bank; but before they reached their destination a second revolution took place. The government which had enlisted and promised to pay them had been overturned; and that now in power refused their demands. In consequence of this the troops invested the city; and hence the civil war—the parties being the ‘insiders’ and the ‘outsiders.’ Those without are not in sufficient force to take the city by assault; and those within have no power by which to drive the besiegers from the suburbs. It is said that Urquiza has furnished material aid to the outsiders, and on the adjournment of the Congress of Santa Fé will join them in person with his Entre-Rian troops.

One can scarcely give credit to the atrocities committed in the guerillas, which almost daily take place—atrocities which would disgrace a horde of savages. What think you of the execution of prisoners by stretching them on the ground, making their wrists and ankles fast with thongs of raw hide to four horses faced in four different directions, and then, by starting these on the gallop, at a single spring, to tear them into quarters! Yet this has been done within a few days in public, and in the presence of an officer, from whom, an eye-witness, Mr. Lore received the account. A few mornings, since the coachman of Mrs. Z——, coming into the town from a quinta or country-house near the lines, which the family had been obliged suddenly to abandon, perceiving two horsemen of the outside party riding furiously down the street towards him, stepped on one side to let them pass; and in doing so he observed something attached to a rope dragging behind them. A second look as they flew by, showed it to be the body of a man, in the uniform of the national guard, who had been either just lassoed or shot by them. At a short distance these fellows met three or four of their comrades; and drawing up to speak to one another, the whole party amused themselves by beating the head of the dead victim with the butts of their carbines!

For an hour or two, almost every morning and every evening, sharp-shooting is heard in various directions around the city. A party of twenty or thirty outsiders, will, at such times, dash up to the barricades at the ends of the streets, or a party of the same number of insiders will rush out beyond them—without any object in either case, but that of having a shot at each other—and blaze away till tired of the sport; fortunately, for the most part, without much bloodshed or a loss of life. Occasionally, one or two on either side fall, or an innocent spectator or passer-by receives a fatal shot. The people along the lines have now become so used to this, as not to regard these skirmishes. Last evening Commodore McKeever, Dr. C—— and I, went to the quinta of Mr. K—— to take tea. This is in the midst of the battle-ground between the lines. As we arrived, a sharp skirmish had just ended, during which musket-balls had struck the house, and one, the drawing-room window, near which Mr. and Mrs. K—— were sitting. A few evenings ago we were at the parade-ground, at the north end of the city, witnessing the evening drill. A skirmish was at the time taking place about half a mile distant, along the flat towards Palermo; and it was notable to see the perfect coolness with which one and another—some singly and others two and three in company—would catch up their muskets and walk or lope towards the scene of the guerilla, laughing and chatting as they arranged their arms for firing, as if it were a shooting-match for goose or turkey they were about to try a hand at, in place of the life of a fellow-being. The whole contest is boyish in its mode of operation, as well as murderous in its motive and end. I am told by those who have witnessed it at the lines, that the manner in which the parties challenge each other to these skirmishes—their taunts and ribaldry, shoutings and insults, are both amusing and ridiculous. Every two or three days a sortie is made by a body of three or four hundred from the inside, on a forage for grass. These generally lead to the loss of lives on both sides. A few mornings ago, on such an occasion, an officer from the inside performed quite a feat of valor and presence of mind. He suddenly found himself cut off from the party he was commanding by a mounted band, who had awaited him in ambush. The first intimation he had of danger was in finding a lasso around his neck. He freed himself expertly from this with his knife, just in time to receive one of the attacking party, coming at full charge upon him with a lance: this he not only parried, but wresting it from the grasp of its owner, unhorsed and pierced him through with it. By this time another lancer was upon him, but only to be run through with the same weapon. He then drew a revolver, with which he brought a third to the ground; and by wounding a fourth in another shot, effected a return to his own party.

_March 12th._—The chief interest in public affairs still centres in the civil war. The presence of Commodore McKeever continues to be important and essential for the interest and safety of American residents and their property. His flag is borne by the “Jamestown,” on board which a detachment of marines from the Congress, under Lieut. Holmes, is quartered, in addition to the guard belonging to that vessel. The quarters of the Commodore and his suite are on shore.

No important change in the attitude of the conflicting parties has occurred; though the arrival of a deputation appointed by the general Congress of the Provinces at Santa Fé, with proposals of mediation on the part of Urquiza, has given rise to some hope of an amicable adjustment of the difficulties. A corresponding deputation has been appointed by the government of the city; an armistice proclaimed; and a conference on neutral ground is now being held.

_April 30th._—All overtures for reconciliation between the belligerent parties have failed, and guerillas are again taking place, with the usual loss of blood and life to both parties. A rigid blockade has been added to the investment of the city by land; and the consequence is a limited supply of provisions among the rich, and suffering and starvation among the poor. The skirmishes of the last two or three mornings have been very heavy; but such creatures of habit are we, that with cannon roaring all around us, and constant volleys of musketry at the distance of a mile or two only, bringing death with each discharge to some fellow-mortal, we now hear the sounds for hours without scarcely a thought of the fatal results. This morning as we sat down to breakfast at Mr. H——’s, two or three gentlemen descended from the flat roof of the house, where they had been watching with a glass the progress of a guerilla. They reported that they had just seen many on both sides fall from their horses, as the parties fired upon each other; but no one present seemed to feel that it was a matter of more moment than the issue of any common sporting-match. The besiegers have no mortars or bombs; but frequently send cannon balls far into the city. Two mornings ago, one of these took off the head of a poor woman a short distance only from the neighborhood in which we were, just as she had risen from her bed and was combing her hair. It is thus that they scatter firebrands, arrows, and death, and say, are we not in sport? My views of the reign of Rosas are much modified by passing events, and the knowledge they give of the people. In the various revolutions and counter-revolutions of years which preceded his accession to power, thirty thousand of them perished from bloodshed and violence at the hands of each other; and more lives have been sacrificed here, in the same manner, within the last three months, than during the whole of his despotic rule. His policy was to put summarily to death, those whom he regarded as factionists and dangerous citizens, and thus, by inspiring terror, to secure peace, order, and safety to the mass. How far was he in error?

Commodore McKeever, after the detention here of four months by the exigency of public affairs, during which he has rendered most important public service, is obliged by duty elsewhere, to leave the further protection of our countrymen and their interests to the commander of the “Jamestown;” and will bid adieu to-morrow to Buenos Ayres for the last time. We must therefore let the curtain drop on the tragedy in performance here; and be content to learn its uncertain issues in our own distant and blessed land. The last mail-packet brought to us the welcome intelligence that the Congress would return to the United States without waiting the arrival of ‘a relief;’ and on taking our anchors at Montevideo in a few days we shall be HOMEWARD BOUND!

POSTSCRIPT.

This volume has already been enlarged beyond the intended number of pages. In closing it, I would very briefly state that the experiment in naval discipline, with which the cruise of the Congress was commenced, previously to the abolition of the lash by law, was carried out with marked and satisfactory success. This is mainly to be attributed to the unwearied efforts, and the indefatigable devotion to duty, of the officers most interested—equally from motives of philanthropy towards the sailor, and a jealous regard for the honor of the navy—in the result. This is especially true, in regard to Mr. Turner the first lieutenant. During the last eighteen months of the cruise, good order, activity in duty, quickness and skill in the military exercises and naval evolutions of a man-of-war, and a general spirit of contentment were characteristic of the crew, in an extraordinary degree. The frigate entered the port of New York under the happiest auspices; and the conduct of the men at the time the manner in which they left her, and their deportment afterwards, were such as to challenge the admiration of those most familiar with such scenes. Intelligence which from time to time has since reached me, in regard to individuals of their number, has been most gratifying; while there has not been wanting proof, in the cases of some, of the highest results of the preaching of the Gospel, in a life of professed and consistent piety.

In regard to the countries to which so much of the preceding record refers, little of material importance has occurred since it was closed. Thirteen of the States of the Plata, bordering on the rivers Parana and Paraguay and their tributaries, have become consolidated under a constitutional government, to the Presidency of which General Urquiza is elevated. Buenos Ayres has pertinaciously refused to enter into this union; and left to pursue her own course, has fallen into a state of anarchy, to which there appears at present to be little prospect of a speedy termination. The same is the case with the Republic of Uruguay.

The condition and prospects of the Empire of Brazil are in wide contrast with these republics of the South. Political quietude and order pervade her widespread dominions, and a striking proof is presented by the stability of her government and her consequent prosperity, of the advantage she possesses in a well-balanced constitutional monarchy. Till the half-civilized people of South America become more enlightened, intellectually and morally, and better instructed in the true principles and right exercise of republicanism, a fixed and hereditary Executive in government is the only safeguard against the evils to which the struggles, among ambitious and unscrupulous military aspirants, constantly give rise.

The few years past have witnessed extraordinary progress in the material wealth, prosperity, and power of this Empire; a progress attributable to the stability of her government; to the necessities of commerce; and to the advancing and controlling civilization of the times. The greatly increased demand for her principal staple, coffee, as well as for many of her other important products—India-rubber, sugar, cotton, tobacco, dye-woods, and minerals—has led to a wise, liberal, and widespread system of internal improvements and inland and ocean steam navigation, for the development of the varied and vast physical resources of the empire. Don Pedro II. has imbibed and obeyed the spirit of the times as fully, during the few years of his actual reign, and advanced the material and social prosperity of his country as safely and rapidly, as any ruler living.

The importance to the United States of the trade of Brazil will hardly be credited by those not particularly informed on the subject. We derive from that empire a large number of articles of commerce indispensable to us; and send to it many of the most staple and valuable products of our agriculture and manufactures. We receive from Brazil our largest supply of coffee, India-rubber, hides, cocoa for chocolate, sarsaparilla, and other articles; and in exchange supply her with nearly all her bread-stuffs—with beef, pork, lard, and butter; with corn, cotton fabrics, the implements of agriculture and the arts, with machinery, and the manufactures of iron and wood. This trade amounts to nearly nineteen millions of dollars annually; the balance against the United States being six millions paid in cash. It is believed by those best informed on the subject, that the establishment of a regular line of mail steamers to Brazil, with a suitable subsidy from the government for postal service, would be the means of doubling the amount of trade in the course of five years; and by the increased demand for our productions arising from the facility of communication and correspondence, would equalize the exchange, if not turn the balance in our favor. It is a reproach to us, that for the want of direct communication by steam, our correspondence, both commercial and diplomatic, with Eastern South America, is carried by English mail steamers, by the way of England, a distance of near eight thousand miles. From the same cause the disbursements of our government to its public agents there, are made only at a heavy percentage. To place the salary of nine thousand dollars in the hands of a chargé d’affaires at Rio, costs the government at home usually one thousand dollars, and the naval disbursements on that station are made at a corresponding loss.

Aware of the vast public and commercial interests to us as a nation of this matter, it is with great satisfaction I have learned that an association of capitalists of the city of New York, bearing the name of the “North and South American Steamship Company,” has brought the subject before Congress in a memorial for aid, in consideration of mail service, in the establishment of a line of steamers between New York and Para. It is proposed to intersect the several European lines running to Brazil at the Island of St. Thomas, and to form a junction at Para, with the Brazilian mail and passage steamers which now regularly coast the empire a distance of four thousand miles, from the mouth of the Amazon to the Rio La Plata. Dr. Rainey, one of the gentlemen engaged in this enterprise, has by personal research informed himself fully of the practicability, under the suitable patronage of the government, of making this initiatory line of steam communication with Brazil and with the Plata, through the intervention of the Imperial lines, of incalculable value to the commerce and general interest of the United States. The committee to whom the memorial was referred, have reported unanimously in favor of granting the subsidy solicited; and there is reason to hope, that by the early action of Congress on the report, an abiding channel of friendship, commerce, and reciprocal good, will be opened directly between the United States and BRAZIL AND LA PLATA.

THE END.

Transcriber’s note:

Variations in hyphenation have been retained.

Formatting of the table of contents has been regularised.

All instances of ‘Dona’ changed to ‘Doña.’

All instances of ‘Guacho’ changed to ‘Gaucho.’

All instances of ‘unitarian’ changed to ‘Unitarian.’

All instances of ‘cortege’ changed to ‘cortège.’

All instances of ‘fuschia’ changed to ‘fuchsia.’

Second frontispiece, ‘CATETTE’ changed to ‘CATETE,’ “O. CATETE New York G. P. Putnam & C^o.”

Page v, ‘acomplished’ changed to ‘accomplished,’ “easily accomplished. In attempting”

Page ix, ‘Miseracordia’ changed to ‘Misericordia,’ “Hospital of the Misericordia”

Page x, ‘locomotion’ changed to ‘Locomotion,’ “Disinclination to Locomotion”

Page xi, ‘Senor’ changed to ‘Señor,’ “Señor de L——”

Page 10, ‘physcically’ changed to ‘physically,’ “The crew, physically, are”

Page 15, double quotes changed to single quotes around ‘All hands, Ahoy!’

Page 18, ‘trivialty’ changed to ‘triviality,’ “of the triviality of the alleged”

Page 38, ‘cabalero’ changed to ‘caballero,’ “Here a caballero admirably”

Page 48, full stop inserted after ‘Lieut,’ “beautiful, that Lieut. R——, the officer”

Page 52, ‘Farenheit’ changed to ‘Fahrenheit,’ “with the mercury by Fahrenheit”

Page 66, em-dash inserted before ‘The,’ “September 10th.—The first”

Page 66, full stop inserted after ‘Lieut,’ “Captain McIntosh and Lieut. T——”

Page 67, ‘Portugese’ changed to ‘Portuguese,’ “the old-fashioned Portuguese Calesa”

Page 84, ‘Vilegagnon’ changed to ‘Villegagnon,’ “grant to Villegagnon two vessels”

Page 102, ‘moluscæ’ changed to ‘molluscæ,’ “are molluscæ with long feelers”

Page 109, double quote inserted after ‘majesties,’ “presentation to their majesties.””

Page 117, ‘tho’ changed to ‘the,’ “party left the ship for”

Page 121, ‘it’ changed to ‘if,’ “appears, as if there really”

Page 122, ‘Catètè’ changed to ‘Catete,’ “Hill, Flamengo, Catètè, Larangieras”

Page 134, ‘hibiscus’ changed to ‘hybiscus,’ “the double scarlet hybiscus”

Page 144, full stop changed to comma after ‘lake,’ “glassy as a lake, one vast”

Page 150, ‘entree’ changed to ‘entrée,’ “to the entrée; and at night”

Page 151, ‘quarelling’ changed to ‘quarrelling,’ “no intoxication, no quarrelling, no”

Page 153, ‘epaulets’ changed to ‘epaulettes,’ “officer in epaulettes and chapeau”

Page 155, ‘recolhiemento’ changed to ‘recolhimento,’ “recolhimento, or female orphan asylum”

Page 170, ‘cabilda’ changed to ‘cabildo,’ “cabildo, or town hall and”

Page 176, ‘Alemeda’ changed to ‘Alameda,’ “from the Alameda, or public”

Page 177, ‘Alemeda’ changed to ‘Alameda,’ “through the Alameda fronting”

Page 181, ‘chirepas’ changed to ‘chiripas,’ “and petticoat-like chiripas were”

Page 208, double quote inserted after ‘world,’ “for ever in this world.””

Page 218, ‘azalia’ changed to ‘azalea,’ “branch of an azalea”

Page 222, ‘Cateté’ changed to ‘Catete,’ “open street of the Catete”

Page 233, ‘abreviated’ changed to ‘abbreviated,’ “and much abbreviated, we”

Page 251, ‘marquee’ changed to ‘marqueé,’ “we perceived the marqueé of the”

Page 255, full stop inserted after ‘Lieut,’ “encampment. Lieut. T—— and I”

Page 268, full stop inserted after ‘trial,’ “a severe trial. Every officer”

Page 269, double quote inserted before ‘All,’ “or “All hands wash hammocks!””

Page 269, ‘ancle’ changed to ‘ankle,’ “wade ankle-deep, in search”

Page 273, ‘ommnibus’ changed to ‘omnibus,’ “if the omnibus suddenly starts”

Page 282, ‘constrution’ changed to ‘construction,’ “but to material and construction”

Page 300, ‘commited’ changed to ‘committed,’ “has been committed. This examination”

Page 300, full stop inserted after ‘us,’ “as with us. One custom”

Page 307, colon inserted after ‘prisoner,’ “made prisoner: a foreboding shadow”

Page 314, ‘musquitos’ changed to ‘mosquitoes,’ “oppressive heat, fleas, and mosquitoes”

Page 330, full stop inserted after ‘principle,’ “moral principle. Rosas did not”

Page 336, ‘peacable’ changed to ‘peaceable,’ “a quiet and peaceable life”

Page 337, ‘carred’ changed to ‘carried,’ “stray line carried away”

Page 342, comma changed to full stop after ‘José,’ “of San José. He is a kind”

Page 349, ‘Josè’ changed to ‘José,’ “from the bay at San José”

Page 355, ‘cabellero’ changed to ‘caballero,’ “sat her horse à la caballero”

Page 363, ‘caléche’ changed to ‘caleche,’ “The carriage was a caleche”

Page 377, ‘civilty’ changed to ‘civility,’ “the civility of the supper-party”

Page 388, ‘Ayrians’ changed to ‘Ayreans,’ “the Portenos or Buenos Ayreans”

Page 397, full stop inserted after ‘inst,’ “to this port on the 13th inst.”

Page 399, ‘epedemic’ changed to ‘epidemic,’ “raged for months as an epidemic”

Page 414, ‘wellbroken’ changed to ‘well-broken,’ “is full-blooded and well-broken”

Page 419, ‘diferent’ changed to ‘different,’ “appointed by the different”

Page 423, ‘reslts’ changed to ‘results,’ “the fatal results. This morning”

Page 426, ‘Uraguay’ changed to ‘Uruguay,’ “the Republic of Uruguay”